A majority of nations agree to global tax on shipping emissions for first time ever

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The world’s latest milestones for climate, justice, peace, health, and more

March 25 – 31 2024 C.E.

A majority of nations agree to global tax on shipping emissions for first time ever

Two weeks of talks at the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization have concluded in London, with a clear majority of countries emerging in favor of a historic, first-ever global emissions levy. The shipping sector, which accounts for 3% of global emissions and transports more than 90% of global trade, is regarded as one of the hardest industries to decarbonize, partly owing to the vast amounts of dirty fossil fuels the ships burn each year.

Aichi becomes Japan’s first prefecture to consider same-sex couples with children as family

Aichi – which is home to Japan’s fourth largest city Nagoya – will become the country’s first prefecture to recognize non-heterosexual and common-law couples and their children as families under a “family ship” oath system that will come into effect on April 1. Those who take the oath will have the right to public housing provided by the prefecture and will have the right to give consent when a loved one needs surgery at a hospital managed by the prefecture.

In move to protect whales, Polynesian Indigenous groups give them ‘personhood’

Indigenous leaders of New Zealand, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands signed a historic treaty that recognizes whales as legal persons in a move conservationists believe will apply pressure to national governments to offer greater protections for the large mammals. “It’s fitting that the traditional guardians are initiating this,” said Mere Takoko, a Māori conservationist who leads Hinemoana Halo Ocean Initiative, the group that spearheaded the treaty. “For us, by restoring those world populations we also restore our communities.”

Slovakia plans to be coal-free by 2024, six years earlier than originally planned

Slovakia stopped production at its last coal-fired power plant this week. Its electricity will now come almost entirely from nuclear and renewable sources. Slovakia originally slated its coal phaseout for 2030 but has now expedited this to mid-2024, when it will join Belgium, Austria, Sweden and Portugal as Europe’s coal-free countries.

In first, an Argentine court convicts ex-officers of crimes against trans women during dictatorship

Judges overseeing a high-profile human rights trial in Argentina have convicted 11 former officials of crimes against humanity, in the South American nation’s first case to focus on the former military dictatorship’s overlooked practice of committing sexual violence against transgender women.

Oregon governor signs nation’s first right-to-repair bill that bans parts pairing

The law, like those passed in New York, California, and Minnesota, will require many manufacturers to provide the same parts, tools, and documentation to individuals and repair shops that they provide to their own repair teams. But Oregon’s bill goes further, preventing companies from implementing schemes that require parts to be verified through encrypted software checks before they will function.

Croatia approves law to criminalize femicide 

After Cyprus and Malta, Croatia is the third E.U. member state to recognize the crime of femicide, which is defined as the killing of a woman or girl, in particular by a man and on account of her gender. The legislation will also increase the prison sentence for rape from 1 to 5 years to 3 to 8, and victims will have the option to give testimony via videocall rather than attending in person.

Biden administration restores threatened species protections in the U.S. dropped by Trump

Among the changes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reinstate a decades-old regulation that mandates blanket protections for animals and plants newly classified as threatened. That means officials won’t have to craft specific plans to shield each individual species while protections are pending, as has been done recently with North American wolverines in the Rocky Mountains, alligator snapping turtles in the Southeast and spotted owls in California.

U.N. General Assembly adopts landmark resolution on artificial intelligence

The Assembly called on all Member States and stakeholders “to refrain from or cease the use of artificial intelligence systems that are impossible to operate in compliance with international human rights law or that pose undue risks to the enjoyment of human rights.” The text was “co-sponsored” or backed by more than 120 other Member States. It represents the first time the Assembly has adopted a resolution on regulating the emerging field.

Germany approves partial legalization of cannabis

The new law will allow adults to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption and store up to 50 grams at home. Public consumption will be allowed, so long as it is not within sight of children or near sports facilities. It will also be prohibited in pedestrian zones between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. It is slated to come into effect on April 1.

Finland enacts world’s first-ever carbon tax (1990 C.E.)

The tax was based on the carbon content of the fossil fuels and charged at €1.12 per tonne of CO2 when it was first started. The carbon tax was reformed in 1997 and 2011. Now, it has evolved into a combined tax of carbon and energy tax charging €18.05 per tonne of CO2 and €66.2 per tonne of carbon.

Global shipping industry achieves net-zero carbon emissions (2046 C.E. ???)

Long considered one of the most difficult global industries to decarbonize, the global shipping industry transitions fully to carbon-free fuel sources in a historic win for climate action. As of 2024, the global shipping industry contributed 3% of all global emissions, more than the entire aviation industry.